Three of the top lay Catholic organizations have divorced themselves from Catholic teaching by supporting the Obama health-care plan, which would foster a culture of mandatory abortion coverage, contraceptive services, and permissive sex education, euthanasia and eugenics.I think I've mentioned that I am a Catholic. I'm here to tell you that some days it feels like it's wearing thin. I was at mass for Ash Wednesday a few months ago, and as I looked around the church I couldn't help but think, "What are we all doing here?" Not that I think worship is a waste of time, but more specifically I wanted to know what was going through everyone's head in that building. What do we, as Catholics consider our mission? When I read things like the link above, I have no idea. It makes me sick to my stomach.
I could go on at length, as some of you probably know, but I've got to wrap this up before I get in trouble for neglecting Mrs. Eduardo. I am sick and tired of these social gospel-infected, liberal Catholics. Jesus is not a communist. Why are John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi still receiving Communion, especially when Pelosi is either ignorant or lies about what the Church says regarding when life begins? Why does one of my local priests, from Europe, find a way to twist the weekly Gospel reading into some sort of anti-American guilt vehicle? Why did the bishop of my diocese write a special, fawning letter congratulating Obama on getting elected?
The United States is, quite possibly, the pinnacle of human achievement. It's not perfect, but nothing in this world is. Man was meant to live with individual freedom, liberty and responsibility. Man was meant to fight to survive in this world; to defend himself and his family. Man was meant to be able to get into his pickup truck and drive across the country any time he damn well pleases and not have to pay $4.00/gallon to do it. Americans are not supposed to sit around, wracked with guilt until the day they die. I have the opportunities I have today because my ancestors were brave enough to come here and start a new life, not because George Washington or the CIA stole it from somebody else.
There is a quote from 1984 where Winston muses to himself that somehow one felt that they were being cheated out of life in his world. That's what they want for us. Everybody equal in misery: nobody above anybody else (except them, who are above us all). I've had to start fresh on my own three times in my three decades of life and each time has been at once both terrifying and exhilarating. Each time has reminded me of what true freedom is: shaping my own destiny for better or worse. I love where I am right now and it enrages me to think that it might end due to the actions of politicians in Washington who created this mess in the first place. There is nowhere else left to go in the world that can give us what we have here. This is the hill we die on. If we can't make things work here, then humanity will go back to being serf-like robots, either through Islam or socialism.
So help me God, the next mealy-mouthed, wishy-washy, progressive priest that tries to tell my wife and me that we need to feel guilty for working 40 hour weeks while trying to raise our kids because Pedro Pablo the illegal alien has a miserable life despite his free medical care and the state's reluctance to keep him in jail despite his 15 DUI arrests...that priest is going to get an earful from me right in the middle of his homily. I'm gonna get downright Old Testament on his ass, Nathan style. I only hope that moment doesn't come at my child's upcoming baptism ceremony. That will be awkward.
I'm angry right now; seething. That's all for the moment.
*Note to any horrified liberal readers: by "Old Testament" I don't mean carrying guns to mass or murdering anybody's family. I only mean standing up and speaking very, very loud and indignantly.*
The first couple of paragraphs had me hoping that someone was going to try to explain Catholicism, or at least the political directions the church has taken.
ReplyDeleteI've often thought that if I was going to come to religion I'd probably be a Catholic, mostly because the architecture suggests to me that they "get it" in a way the more laid back religions don't. Not that the Protestants aren't every bit as serious about their faith, mind you; but to this heathen's eye, they don't express it with the same conviction.
So anyway, being a heathen, I need to ask: isn't there any alternative if this one's annoying you? Can you just go to a different parish? Are some Catholic churches more conservative than others? I know my parents went through about a dozen flavors of Christianity before they settled on one. I suspect the Catholic faith is more monolithic, but surely some have to be a little less loopy than others.
My personal belief is that the Catholic Church is the Church. Not that I think Protestants or whomever else is going to hell for not being Catholic, just that it is the original church and nothing is going to be perfect. Why did Jesus leave the church with humans in charge? I don't know, it's another one of those mysteries. I actually thought about trying out a Baptist church when we moved to GA but even my mom, who used to be a Southern Baptist, advised against it. She said that there always seemed to be something missing from a Baptist service. Catholic Communion is sort of the climax of the service. It is supposed to be a very serious thing even if most Catholics don't treat it as such.
ReplyDeleteFor all of its hierarchical structure and dogma, there is actually a lot of room for individuality in the Catholic church. Some parishes are definitely more liberal or conservative than others; it depends on the priest and the bishop. In general, I have found priests that are military chaplains to be the best of the bunch. Overall, there is a lot of rich history and tradition in the Church. Not all of it is good, but I think it does the best job with adopting the "spirit of the age", so to speak. Generally, the Church holds true to its beliefs and doesn't waver even if popular opinion is against it.
I think a lot of the leftist leanings of the Church come from the fact that it's run by Europeans. I doubt there will ever be an American pope, at least not until Italy becomes a Muslim country and they annex the Vatican. Being Europeans they are not as big on the whole individual spirit and all that. Since the Pope is the head, that attitude trickles downstream.
Basically, the Church is a bit schizophrenic when you compare certain areas to others. Can't really make excuses other than anything run by humans will have issues. It is what it is. I haven't yet gotten to the proverbial bridge to far with Catholicism yet and I hope I never do. I just don't like some of the stuff that's going on.
but I think it does the best job with adopting the "spirit of the age", so to speak.
ReplyDeleteI meant to say that it does the best job of resisting the temptation to adopt the spirit of the age. In other words, not changing at the whim of popular opinion.
"I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell." - Harry S. Truman.
ReplyDeleteYou'll absolutely hear more myopic dimwittery from the front before all is said and done. I'd love to be there when you give 'im Harry.